COLONY NAME
YEAR FOUNDED
FOUNDED BY
BECAME ROYAL COLONY
Virginia
1607
London Company
1624
Massachusetts
1620
Puritans
1691
New Hampshire
1623
John Wheelwright
1679
Maryland
1634
Lord Baltimore
N/A
Connecticut
c. 1635
Thomas Hooker
N/A
Rhode Island
1636
Roger Williams
N/A
Delaware
1638
Peter Minuit and New Sweden Company
N/A
North Carolina
1653
Virginians
1729
South Carolina
1663
Eight Nobles with a Royal Charter from Charles II
1729
New Jersey
1664
Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret
1702
New York
1664
Duke of York
1685
Pennsylvania
1682
William Penn
N/A
Georgia
1732
James Edward Oglethorpe
1752


  • New England


    Colonies: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. These were known for being rich in forests and fur trapping. Harbors were located throughout the region. The area was not known for good farmland. Therefore, the farms were small, mainly to provide food for individual families. New England flourished instead with fishing, shipbuilding, lumbering, and fur trading along with trading goods with Europe. The famous Triangle Trade occurred in the New England colonies where slaves were sold in the West Indies for molasses. This was sent to New England to make Rum which was then sent to Africa to trade for slaves.
In New England, small towns were the centers of local government. In 1643, Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven formed the New England Confederation to provide defense against Indians, Dutch, and the French. This was the first attempt to form a union between colonies.
A group of Massasoit Indians organized themselves under King Philip to fight the colonists. King Philip’s War lasted from 1675-78. The Indians were finally defeated at a great loss.
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  • Middle Colonies


    Colonies: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. This area was excellent for farming and included natural harbors. Farmers grew grain and raised livestock. The Middle Colonies also practiced trade like New England, but typically they were trading raw materials for manufactured items.
One important event that happened in the Middle Colonies during the colonial period was the Zenger Trial in 1735. John Peter Zenger was arrested for writing against the royal governor of New York. Zenger was defended by Andrew Hamilton and found not guilty helping to establish the idea of freedom of the press.
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  • Southern Colonies


    Colonies: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Southern colonies grew their own food along with growing three major cash crops: tobacco, rice, and indigo. These were grown on plantations typically worked by slaves and indentured servants. The main commerce of the South was with England. Plantations kept people widely separate which prevented the growth of many towns.
An important event that occurred in the Southern Colonies was Bacon's Rebellion. Nathaniel Bacon led a group of Virginia colonists against Indians who were attacking frontier farms. The royal governor, Sir William Berkeley, had not moved against the Indians. Bacon was labeled a traitor by the governor and ordered arrested. Bacon attacked Jamestown and seized the government. He then became ill and died. Berkeley returned, hanged many of the rebels, and was eventually removed from office by King Charles II.

  • Economic Activities


New England Colonies
1. Massachusetts - Shipbuilding, shipping, fishing, lumber, rum, meat products
2. New Hampshire - Ship masts, lumber, fishing, trade, shipping, livestock, foodstuffs
3. Connecticut - rum, iron foundries, shipbuilding
4. Rhode Island - snuff, livestock

Middle Colonies
1. New York - furs, wheat, glass, shoes, livestock, shipping, shipbuilding, rum, beer, snuff
2. Delaware - trade, foodstuffs
3. New Jersey - trade, foodstuffs, copper
4. Pennsylvania - flax, shipbuilding

Southern Colonies
1. Virginia - tobacco, wheat, cattle, iron
2. Maryland - tobacco, wheat, snuff
3. North Carolina - naval supplies, tobacco, furs
4. South Carolina - rice, indigo, silk
5. Georgia - indigo, rice, naval, supplies, lumber